Prevalence of influenza and pneumococcal vaccination in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients in association with the occurrence of acute exacerbations

Background: Based on current evidence, vaccination is recommended against the influenza virus and pneumococcus to avoid serious acute exacerbations in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but the rate of their vaccination coverage is still suboptimal. To determine the prevalence and effectiveness of influenza and pneumococcal vaccination in COPD patients, and to prove its hypothetical association with the decreasing number of acute exacerbations. Methods: We conducted a retrospective, population-based cohort study. Influenza and pneumococcal vaccination history were collected from 250 patients selected by simple random sampling from all COPD patients in Budapest at the Department of Pulmonary Rehabilitation of the National Koranyi Institute of Pulmonology between 01 January 2019 and 01 June 2019. Inclusion criteria were the following: age 40 years and diagnosis of COPD. Odds ratios (ORs) were evaluated based on the occurrence of acute exacerbations during the preceding year. Results: The average age was 66.62 (+/- 8.34) years, 67.30 (+/- 8.54) for males, and 66.09 (+/- 8.16) for females. Man:woman ratio: 43.6%:56.4% in total. Overall prevalence of influenza vaccination was 23.6%, and the pneumococcal vaccination rate was 10.8% among COPD patients. Influenza and pneumococcal vaccination showed a significant protective effect and reduced the occurrence of exacerbations in the following year, influenza vaccination OR: 2.11 ( 95% CI: 0.88-5.02), pneumococcal vaccination OR: 1.06 ( 95% CI: 0.84-1.34), when taking both vaccination: OR: 2.37 (95% CI: 1.39-4.08). Conclusions: We found association between influenza and pneumococcal vaccination and the reduced risk of hospitalization due to exacerbations in the ensuing year. The prevalence of vaccination is significantly below the optimal level.